Wed, December 10, 2008
The Jonas Brothers were among the fresh faces nominated for a Grammy Award for best new artist, organizers of the music industry's top honors said on Wednesday.
The teen idols will compete against two female British singers, Duffy and Adele, country group Lady Antebellum and R&B singer Jazmine Sullivan.
Winners in all categories of the 51st annual event will be unveiled during ceremonies on February 8.
For the first time, nominations in key categories were read out during a one-hour concert special broadcast in the United States on CBS. Traditionally, contenders were named at an early morning news conference.
The new strategy is part of a bid to boost awareness of the Grammys, even as the record business endures a decade-long tailspin.
Album sales so far this year are down 14 percent from the same period of 2007, according to tracking firm Nielsen SoundScan. A slew of big acts including Kanye West, Madonna and Usher have suffered huge sales drops with their latest albums.
This year's Grammys ceremony averaged just 17.1 million viewers, the third-smallest tally since the event first aired for a national audience in 1971.
(Agencies)
